Post angioplasty 'angina attack' - confused.

[hunterandcrew]

3 weeks after a stent was inserted and all other arteries were stated as 'pristine' , I have had difficulty getting back to full physical activity. Yesterday I was 5 minutes into a short walk when I suddenly felt all energy go and had to stop... there was no pain, very minor breathlessness (if at all), just suddenly felt like I needed to stop. After a rest I made my way home and within 5 minutes my blood pressure shot up as did my pulse (from normal ranges to 138/94 ('grade 1 hypertension'). Oddly my forefinger on my left had also lost all circulation for a few minutes. It had eased by the time the ambulance arrived and blood tests showed no heart attack, pulse and pressure had returned to normal, chest xray showed clear lungs. The hospital said it was probably some angina attack and to not do much for a few days.

I am so confused and worried, after having a stent and all other arteries being clean, I don't understand what could have happened here... especially since I was told I would be able to return to remote working after 3 days and normal activity after a couple of weeks.

Any thoughts or similar experiences?

[Heather1957]

I totally get why you are concerned!Do you think one or more of your meds have caused this?

One of my newish meds Brilique (blood thinner) that makes me short of breath even when I am not doing anything. Granted it doesn't cause your other side effects but maybe something you are taking is having these effects.

I hope you find out what is causing these problems and it turns out to be something minor.

Welcome to the group.

[hunterandcrew in reply to Heather1957]

thanks for replying... not many meds left as I came off beta blockers due to side effects and also came of statin (though might go back on that)... doctor advised both could be removed to try to identify other side effects I was getting. Only on Asprin and Clopidogrel at the moment until my next doctor appointment.

[Heather1957 in reply to hunterandcrew]

Mmm there doesn't seem much there to cause problems but we all react differently. Until October I was on Clopidogrel, I had to have 2 stents so they put me on Aspirin and my new blood thinners. Obviously it is a matter of trial and error - good luck.

[Hidden]

Dear hunterandcrew

What a worrying time that must have been for you when it happened.

Having a stent put in is no little thing, just because it’s routine and performed like clockwork , only hides the fact of how major it really is.

So I suspect that you have not allowed yourself time to heal, not just physically but also mentally .

And as your own words say, you are a fit 51 year old.

I to was a very fit man , all be it older than you.

One day , not long after being discharged , I pushed a little to hard, to hard ? why can’t I do as I did only a few months ago? and loads of other question racing through my mind as I sat in a heap in the middle of the road after collapsing there.

It was odd like I was pushing against treacle, and I saw my feet stepping in front of themselves as bang I went down.

My safe switch had been turned to off.

Now it’s slow and safe, building and building, sure it’s gonna take time , but now I’ve been given extra I can use it in a better way, to regain my lost fitness.

Take care

[Hidden]

I had a couple of stents fitted 6 months ago and like you I wanted to get my physical fitness back up pretty quickly....I was surprised how long it took me to get back my previous level of activity.Even after 8 weeks when not pushing myself that hard I had a "turn" where I suddenly felt exhausted and nauseas, it took quite a few hours to regain my composure.

Now I feel brilliant and exercised this morning with zero issues.

Take it steady, you've undergone a big medical procedure.

[hunterandcrew]

Thank you so much for the replies, that's very reassuring, whats confused me was the discharge paperwork saying I should be back to normal activities after a week or so, and the doctor seemed to indicate the same.... Utterly confusing and obviously alarming when my expectations were normality by now. No mention of all the weird chest feelings or episodes like I had, just advised to take it easy for a few days to build back up and resume normal in a week or two.

Thank you everyone, what a great group.